The people of Judah were living in perilous times. The northern kingdom was occupied territory and many had been uprooted and relocated far away. The south was a vassal state of Assyria, and the people there had only to look north to see how things could get gravely worse.
Read More character, leadership, difficult times
Read Reflect Here is Paul’s personal c.v. and the justification of his ministry. Here is his rationale and defence of his work. What guarantees the authenticity of Paul, the man and what he teaches? The fact that he’s been on the front lines, where he’s been shamefully treated, yet continues to boldly declare the gospel […]
Read More character, grace, authenticity
We all want others to think well of us. As this famous passage in Proverbs points out, being a good wife is less about what a woman does and more about who a woman is. Yet, it’s easy to fall into a trap of believing that doing the right things will cause others to think well of us.
Read More character, woman, wifeWhat makes a person – a woman, a man – good and noble is their character, not what they do or how they look or who they know. As Jesus noted, we must start with our hearts if we want to be good (Matt 23:25–26).
Proverbs 31 is a long list of examples of fruits that a good wife bears.
Read More character, work, woman, wifeWhat makes a person – a woman, a man – good and noble as their character, not what they own or what college they went to or what their job title is. As the proverb says, from whatever is in your heart flows the spring of your life (Proverbs 4:23).
Proverbs 31 is a long list of examples of fruits of labour that a good wife bears.
Read More gift, character, woman, accomplishmentWhat makes a person – a woman, a man – good and noble is their character, not what car they drive or how much fame they have or where they shop. Being a person of good character doesn’t start outside; it starts inside by having faith and having God work in our lives (Acts 11:24).
Read More character, transformation, influenceWhat makes a person – a woman, a man – good and noble is their character, not how much money they have in the bank or what designer clothes they wear or even what other people say about them. Let’s let God change the way we think – then we can please him (Romans 12:2).
Read More honouring God, charm, character, familyThe distinctiveness of the Christian community is a hugely important biblical theme. The people of Israel were chosen to be a model, showing the world what a community in relationship with God looked like. Surrounding nations were meant to look at Israel and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people” (Deuteronomy 4:5-8).
Read More leaders, accountability, characterThe Lord Jesus faced opposition from religious people during his lifetime. It was no different for his disciples. There will always be people who stray from the truth and cause destruction. Paul’s analysis in this passage suggests that often what lies behind disagreements is not truth but character.
Read More disagreements, money, contentment, character
